That kind of alternatives help some. But then by that logic, nothing is a monopoly. Your local utility is considered a protected monopoly according to the law,

That kind of alternatives help some. But then by that logic, nothing is a monopoly. Your local utility is considered a protected monopoly according to the law, even if they don't also control prices across the border in some other country. Governments explicitly claim the right to exclude "competitors" from whatever they do choose to define as their jurisdiction. If a state and federal govt disagree (e.g. drug laws) that just means you must adhere to the worst of both alternatives to avoid penalties.